Ruskin on Cookery

“Cookery means the knowledge of Medea and of Circe and of Helen and of the Queen of Sheba. It means the knowledge of all herbs and fruits and balms and spices, and all that is healing and sweet in the fields and groves and savory in meats. It means carefulness and inventiveness and willingness and readiness of appliances. It means the economy of your grandmothers and the science of the modern chemist; it means much testing and no wasting; it means English thoroughness and French art and Arabian hospitality; and, in fine, it means that you are to be perfectly and always ladies — loaf givers.

–John Ruskin, as quoted in the Boston Cooking School Cookbook, 1918

Beef & Barley Stew

“Maybe they don’t have sheep and cattle, Bran thought. He commanded the serving men to bring them mutton chops and a slice off the aurochs and fill their trenchers with beef-and-barley stew. They seemed to like that well…” -A Clash of Kings

Beef-and-Barley Stew

Thoughts:

Thick and hearty, this is the kind of stew that will stick to your ribs. Because this soup, and many other variations similar to it, are served in the North, I’ve only included ingredients we know they have. I’d recommend you use this recipe as a starting point and mix in your own choice of ingredients, as available and desired.

This version holds a delicate balance between barley, meat, and veg. The barley and turnip give the stew some heft, while the carrots provide a much welcome burst of color. The beef softens as it stews, and each spoonful holds a different combination of filling. Pair with our white or black breads, and you’ll be as happy as a crannogman in a bog.

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Mushroom Straws

Mushroom. Puff Pastry. Parmesan. Balsamic.

Rich, savory, and delicious, these mushroom straws are an easy snack for parties. Guests will marvel at their deliciousness, never suspecting how simple they were to make. I, for one, ate about half a batch on my own throughout the course of the day. Normally, I would be embarrassed to admit such, but I think you will agree, once you’ve tasted one, that they’re difficult to stop eating.

Puff pastry, in my opinion, is always a win.

But go on to fill it with this savory puree, and it becomes even better. The balsamic, while not quite robust enough to feature in the flavor, helps to round out the woodsy flavor of the mushrooms. The saltiness of the Parm stands out without overpowering the other components, and the pinch of pepper gives just a hint of a bite.

Truly, try these out the next time you’re expecting guests, and watch how quickly they go!

Mushroom Straws Recipe

Prep: 5 minutes Baking: 15 minutes

Makes about 40 short straws

Ingredients:

1 box puff pastry (17.3 oz.)
1 shallot
3 Tbs. butter
2 oz. mushrooms
2 tsp. Balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten, for wash
poppy seeds (optional)

Thaw the puff pastry.

In a pan over medium heat, saute the shallot in butter until it’s soft. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for a few minutes until the mushrooms are also soft. Remove from heat, and puree the shallots and mushrooms, along with all the butter, and the balsamic, in a food processor.

Preheat the oven to 400F, and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread out your thawed puff pastry. If it is one sheet, cut into even halves. Gently spread the mushroom filling over the whole bottom sheet of pastry, making sure to go straight to the edges. Lay the top half of the pastry over this.

Brush the top of the pastry with a beaten egg, and sprinkle with a few poppy seeds. With a sharp knife, or a pizza cutter, slice the filled dough into strips about 1/2″ wide. Place the strips on the prepared baking sheets, twisting some, if you like, for visual diversity.

Bake the mushroom straws for about 15 minutes, or until they are a rich golden brown. Allow them to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Direwolf Biscuits

This post is dedicated to Tundra, Olga, and Apollo. :)

Our direwolf’s thoughts:

The kitchen can be torture for a pet with a culinary inclined owner. I know my own direwolf sits proper for the entire time I’m cooking, in hopes of receiving scraps. We’ve concocted these biscuits so you don’t have to feel guilty looking into those big brown eyes every time you pick up your chef’s knife. Simply toss one of these down to your most loyal friend.

I wanted to make a treat that had no fillers, no grains, and could be easily made in a standard stocked kitchen. There are no crazy ingredients, and nothing bad for your dog. When developing this recipe, I did a series of scientific experiments along the way to ensure that the dogs thought it was as yummy as it looked to me. When they licked my hands clean of the raw mixture, I knew it was ready for the oven.

End result – all three dogs these biscuits were tested on loved them. Everyone was sitting pretty, politely asking for another round after the initial taste test.

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And the Winners are…

We have our ~~first two~~ four winners!

1) PGSmith

2) Steven Lefebvre

3) Jen Anderson

4) Katie Hilton

Congrats to our winners, and we hope the rest of you are not without your own copies for too long!

Even if you didn’t win, many of you get an honorable mention for great comments. You had us laughing, blushing, and so thoroughly flattered that we decided we simply had to include the best of them here. Enjoy.

I have already informed my family that we will be having a Westerosi-themed Christmas dinner this year. :D

Please give this comment a look,
For I’d like to win a cookbook.
It would be so cool to cook,
the awesome recipes from your book!

Winter is coming and the dark night is full of terrors…. I think it’s time for some comfort food, don’t you? I know of a great cookbook that would help with it. If only I had one…. :D

” a Man needs to eat…” <—- My best Jaqen H’Ghar impression. On a more serious note, I love just about everything about this site. I have made multiple dinners, lunch and breakfast using Inn at the Crossroads. In fact, today i graduated from college and for my grad dinner i asked for some Honeyed Chicken instead of going to some fancy restaurant. Lets hope the parents don’t screw it up. Anyway, congrats on the fabulous cook book, winning one would be awesome! Keep up the good work ladies!

the night is young and full of terriers,they must be fed!

By the Seven Gods of the Andals! I’d love to get one of these!

It would be an honor to win such a book of food goodness. So glad your dream is being realized, win or not I for see a copy in my possession in the near future, the flames tell all.

The things I do for love…of cookbooks.

I will pray the Old gods and the new for this cookbook. Hope this gets to Lima, Peru.
Winter is coming to the Southern Hemisphere

Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until dinner is complete. I shall feed my wife, garden my lands, distract the cats from jumping on the counter. I shall wear no aprons and win no cooking contests. I shall prep and serve at my post. I am the knife in the darkness. I am the blender on the counter. I am the fire that lightly renders the fat, the broiler that chars the trout, the dinner bell that wakes the hungry, the sauté pan that satisfies the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Kitchen, for this night and all the nights to come.

I want this cookbook, for my belly is empty and full of rumbles (for Westerosi cooking!)

*Sansa pout* Please? It’s the only thing I ever wanted!

If I get a cookbook I will probably lose my job because I’ll just cook everything in it instead of going to work. That said… bring it on.

I can’t wait for the cookbook! I’ve been cooking along with the blog. Thanks for making Game of Thrones come alive for me!

By the old gods and the new, this is FAN.TASTYc !
… worked on that one for a while (:

My heart booms like galloping Dothraki horsemen. My stomach growls like the wolves of Winterfell. I hunger for the cookbook and its bounty of dishes and drinks from Westeros to Essos! May my flagon be ever full of joy if I am selected for the cookbook giveaway!

– Isaac, Lord of Donuts

If anybody gets between those books and I, and iassakka daughter of iassakka, will cut off his manhood and feed it to the goats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I get a book here at Spain, I’ll be grateful to you, your sons, and the sons of your sons. I swear it by the old Gods and the new.

It’s my turn to host Thankgiving and my brother is a chef. This book may be my only hope.
I’m buying it regardless. If I win one, then I’d still buy one to keep with my GoT books.
That way I’ll have a copy without gravy stains. :)

COOK ALL THE THINGS!

I always burn my bacon until it turns black.

I’m continually amazed at the lengths the two of you go to come up with recipes and procure some of the less common ingredients to replicate the dishes mentioned in the books; and the attention to detailing you do to stage the photos for the website. Good luck with the book. It’s really nice to see hard work and passion rewarded.

In the name of the Old Cooks and the New

We do not sow
Hear me boar,
The seed is wrong
Only feast for a crow.

Chop the boar
Slaugther the fowl,
The chicken wings are rising
Brace your selves, dinner is coming.

The kitchen is dark and full of meat
But a Lannister always pays his meal!
This book should be in my home
Don’t hesitate – it is known!

I can’t wait! I need some recipes for all those pigeons in my freezer ;]

I hereby swear by the Maiden, Mother, & Crone that I shall use your sacred book to prepare the finest feast ever seen in or out of the Seven Kingdoms, one that would make that gourmand Tyrion Lannister my lifelong love slave. . .

Failing that, I can only promise to cook my ass off if I get a copy, & invite you two to chow down. :-)

Honor to you and your Houses for this! I planned on getting multiple copies, so this will make a good start!

I can’t wait for this to come out! It is going to be my default gift for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and Christmas!

If it earned me that free signed cookbook, I’d cook for all 40,000 of Drogo’s men, and their horses too!

Oh. Ever since I found this website, I knew I had to get a copy of your book! Someday I’m going to find the flimsiest of silk gowns, grab a crown, and lay around munching Dany’s dinner while watching a Game of Thrones marathon. I mean, why not be queen for a day? :D

I would defenstrate a thousand small children to get my hands on a copy of this book.
Your blog is brilliant, and I hope your book is very very successful! If I don’t win, I’ll be putting the book on my wedding list. :D

As a chef who has worked in Antarctica and the Arctic Circle I’m ready for the cookbook even if I have to go to the wall to get it.

I’ve spent all my money on wine and whores. Take pity on me, and throw a book my way! *grins*

Cookbook Giveaway!

GUYS!

These magical boxes appeared on our porch today:

They were full of cookbooks!

And because we wouldn’t be here without all of you, we want to share.

We are giving away Four SIGNED copies of the cookbook before the release date!

~~Enter by posting a comment below. Everyone is only allowed one entry, but you are allowed to comment more than once. The more banter, the better, as far as we’re concerned!~~

~~The entry deadline is Noon on Wednesday, May 16th, at which point two winners will be selected randomly.~~

UPDATE!

We have selected two winners for the blog drawing! However, you can still enter the giveaway for another two books on Goodreads. No harm in hedging your bets. ;) Open to all fans, everywhere.

Good Luck!

Strawberries and Sweetgrass

“Tables and benches had been raised outside the pavilions, piled high with sweetgrass and strawberries and fresh-baked bread.” -A Game of Thrones

Strawberries & Sweetgrass

Thoughts:

The first taste of summer, for me, has always been strawberries. If there were a way to further improve upon their juicy goodness, this incredibly simple recipe is it. Each flavor enhances that of the strawberries without treading too heavily. Both lemongrass and ginger are distinct, but work together to compliment the basic goodness of fresh fruit, making strawberries and sweetgrass a winning dessert in my book.

Served alongside a glass of iced mead or cider, this is an instant favorite for warm summer evenings on the porch, or for a winning contribution to a picnic.

Strawberries & Sweetgrass Recipe

Total Prep Time: 10 minutes Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mead or hard cider
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 Tbs. minced lemongrass
1 lb. strawberries

Combine all ingredients except the strawberries in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat for just long enough for the honey and mead to meld together, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Prepare the strawberries by removing the leafy tops, and slice into a large bowl in an assortment of shapes and sizes. Pour the sauce over the sliced fruit and toss to coat. Serve either at room temperature, or chilled. It is especially good with a glass of the same mead or cider with which you made the sauce.

Nettle Tea

“‘Found some nettles and brewed a tea,’ Shadd announced. ‘Will m’lady take a cup?’

‘Yes, with thanks.’ She cradled the tea in her scarred hands and blew on it to cool it.” -A Clash of Kings

Nettle Tea

Our Thoughts:

Somewhat lacking in fresh wild greens in Boston, we sadly had to default to dried nettle leaves to make this nettle tea. However, if you are lucky enough to have fresh leaves at your disposal, we recommend using those. We’ve planted our own nettles, partly as a defensive wall around our garden, and will update this post once we’ve tried them fresh.

It’s high in iron and vitamins, making it a wonderful surprise infusion by the side of the road while travelling. We actually didn’t care for the addition of lemon to ours, although a good dollop of honey was more than welcome.

The tea tastes very green, without the sometimes unpleasant herbal quality present in many other infusions.

Nettle Tea Recipe

We have taken a few liberties with additional ingredients; it’s unlikely that Catelyn and her party would have had all of these items on hand, but it makes for a much better tea, so we hope you will indulge us. :)

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. dried nettle leaves, or slightly less fresh
honey to taste
other additions: mint leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, lemon, etc.

Steep leaves for a few minutes, then season to taste with honey and any additional ingredients you like. The color should be a dark green, and the flavor strong

*Fun Fact: Nettle Brew is also a good plant fertilizer, rinse for soft and sleek hair, and can be used to make beer. Stay tuned for that one… ;)

Suckling Pig in Plum Sauce

“Buy me a cup of Arbor gold, Hopfrog, and perhaps I won’t inform my father of your toast. The tiles turned against me at the Checkered Hazard, and I wasted my last stag on supper. Suckling pig in plum sauce, stuffed with chestnuts and white truffles. A man must eat.” -A Feast for Crows

Esteban, the suckling pig

Our Thoughts:

Since we started this blog, we have desperately wanted to make suckling pig in plum sauce. Our own roast pig, lovingly named “Esteban,” was the star of our premier party. Despite his needy nature, what with the days of brining, hours of slow and low roasting, and incremental basting, Esteban was delicious. The skin was crisp, and the meat incredibly tender and juicy. Serving with the plum sauce made an epic pairing.

We opted for a smaller suckling pig, as we didn’t have the option of roasting outside on a spit or in a pit. Generally, pigs above about 18 pounds do not fit in regular home ovens. Our pig was 16 pounds, and just fit in one of our ovens on a slight diagonal. Larger pigs obviously require a longer roasting time, and the roasting method changes the cook time as well.

Esteban was born and raised on the pastures of Sugar Mountain Farm, in Vermont. Sugar Mountain is currently raising money through Kickstarter to build their own abattoir. Be sure to support their great project! Many thanks to Walter and Holly, as well as our fearless courier and pig christener, Gavi.

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Emptins / Ale Barm

Emptins, from “emptyings”, are the colonial American equivalent to the older Ale Barm. Both are made from the leftover yeasty dregs of the brewing process, and used in either baking or to start fermentation in new brewing projects.

Ingredients: Original Batch More Manageable Batch

handful hops ~1/4 oz. loose leaf hops
3 quarts water 6 cups water
Flour ~3 cups flour
emptins 1 Tbs. Emptins / sourdough starter

Boil the hops in the water for 15 minutes. Strain out the hops, and put the liquid in a large bowl. Whisk in flour until the mixture resembles a sort of slurry, similar to the texture of pancake batter. When this goop is no longer hot, add the emptins or starter, and allow to sit overnight.

Provided your yeast mixture is warm and happy, it will go crazy in the hoppy-flour mixture. Mine doubled overnight, overflowing the large mason jar I had it in. Lesson learned. The final mixture will be thick and bubbly.

Cover the mixture with a loose lid, and place in the fridge, as you would a normal sourdough starter. The yeast solution will begin to look like an eldritch creature, putting down tendrils in the jar until the whole thing separates into the heavier starter on the bottom, and the hops water on top.

When you want to use the starter, simply stir up the solution, adding a hearty dash of new flour into the mix. This will feed the starter and help perk it back up. For best results, feed the starter the day before you wish to use it. Otherwise, feed your starter a handful of flour every week or so.

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